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We would like to use some configuration of the iBeacon , where the user's iPhone will advertise its services, but when the app is closed. So when a user come across a hardware beacon, it will recognise the user's iPhone(as a beacon) without opening the app, and even connect to it .

I could find here many opinions about that, but i wonder if there are any news with the iOS8 ,and if there is a clear answer for that from Apple ?

Curnelious
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1 Answers1

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A couple of points:

  1. Bluetooth beacons, iBeacons included, are transmit only. They don't see or "recognize" other beacons or phones. The statement "when a user come across a hardware beacon, it will recognise the user's iPhone(as a beacon)" is not possible with the technology regardless of whether the app on the phone is in the foreground or the background.

  2. iBeacons are supported on iOS devices with version 7.x and 8.x of the operating system. On all these versions, however, beacon transmission from the iOS device is only supported when the app is in the foreground. See here for details.

Community
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davidgyoung
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  • First of all, you have a huge mistake. A bluetooth LE hardware, for example the hm11 ,can listen ,identify ,and connect to the iPhone, where the iPhone is in iBeacon mode as a transmitter/reciever . Second, core-bluetooth CAN be both iBeacon transmitter and a receiver. You can post your services as an iBeacon, or listen to other beacons in the region .This is the definition of the BLE 4 according to IEEE. Another thing, you CAN send BLE data when the app is in background, a few examples are- Square ,and the August locker. Another example is me,that i have tried that and it works. – Curnelious Mar 12 '15 at 11:23
  • Yes, Bluetooth LE devices, including iOS devices, can be designed to both transmit and receive. But standard hardware beacons meeting the iBeacon spec are transmit only. My answer is about this type of device and not BLE in general. – davidgyoung Mar 12 '15 at 11:30
  • but my question is about LE in general . – Curnelious Mar 12 '15 at 12:16